AEC Feed

Indonesia’s state-owned electricity firm PLN plans to hold tender and settle all power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 12 mine-mouth coal-fired power plants in Sumatra and Kalimantan this year to ensure electricity supply in those regions in the long run.
The mine-mouth power plants will have a combined capacity of 4,650 megawatts (MW) of electricity with a total investment value of US$7.2 billion.
They are slated for commercial operations within the 2020-2024 period. “Initially, we aimed to settle all of the PPAs in June. Some of them might face a delay, but it all will still be done this year,” PLN procurement director Supangkat Iwan Santoso said in Jakarta recently.
At present, the electricity reserve margin, which refers to the difference between capacity and peak demand, in Kalimantan and Sumatra are at a meager 7 per cent and 8 per cent, respectively, far lower than the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) guidelines of between 20 and 35 per cent.
The government recently issued ministerial decree No 19/2017, which stipulates tariff caps for electricity produced by mine-mouth and regular coal-fired power plants, in a bid to help increase Indonesia’s competitiveness.
In the case of mine-mouth power plants, the decree dictates that if the cost to supply electricity (BPP) in a region is higher than the national average, the electricity tariff should be capped at 75 percent of average national rates. 
If the BPP in a region is lower or |equal to the national average, then |the electricity tariffs should be capped |at 75 per cent of the region’s average. – The Jakarta Post

E-marketing at no charge 
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore can now market themselves online at no cost by listing on the 99% SME website, Singtel and DBS said in a joint statement yesterday. 
This year’s campaign also aims to help SMEs venture into e-commerce by signing them up to the 99% SME e-marketplace, hosted by Lazada Singapore.
The annual 99% SME campaign was started by Singtel and DBS and is into its third year. – The Straits Times 

Indonesia saw 1.14 m arrivals 
Indonesia saw 1.14 million tourist arrivals in April, a 7.09 per cent increase from March, according to a report from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
The figure is also 26.75 per cent higher than in the same period last year, which saw 901,090 arrivals.
BPS data also shows that the highest percentage of tourists arrived at the Sam Ratulangi International Airport in North Sulawesi, followed by the Lombok International Airport in West Nusa Tenggara and Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport in Riau Islands.
The Sam Ratulangi airport has been a good example of how direct flights could attract tourists, BPS head Suhariyanto said during a press conference on Friday, adding that the airport had opened direct flights to eight cities in China, including Guangzhou.
“We need more [direct flights] as they are more affordable and more efficient for tourists,” he said.
Meanwhile, the number of tourists entering Indonesia through border posts jumped by 333.9 per cent to 96,130 in April, compared to 22,150 entries in the same month last year.
The agency also recorded an average occupancy rate of 55.14 percent across the country, an increase compared to April 2016 at 54.38 percent.
The highest room occupancy rate was found in Central Sulawesi, with 65.49 per cent. – The Jakarta Post

PT Indofood dividends
PT Indofood Sukses Makmur (INDF), the consumer goods company of Indonesia’s Salim group agreed during a shareholder’s meeting recently to distribute dividends worth RP 2.06 trillion. 
The dividends constitutes 39.18 per cent of INDF’s RP 5.27 trillion net income in 2016. Each share is worth RP 235, a 39.88 per cent increase from RP 168 per share in 2016. The dividends are scheduled to be paid on July 6. 
The company’s net income soared by 41.98 per cent from 2015, when it saw a dip in performance to due foreign currency loss.
“I want to appreciate to all Indofood stakeholders. We are committed to improving our performance,” president director Anthoni Salim said after shareholder’s meeting. Combined with subsidiary PT Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur Tbk (ICBP), both Indofood group companies have total dividends worth RP 3.86 trillion, a 29.96 per cent rise compared to last year’s figure of RP2.97 trillion. – The Jakarta Post